Editing Lucas (PM)

{{ArticleIcons|pm=y}}

 

|name         = Lucas

|image       = [[Image:Lucas SSBB.jpg|250px]]

|mod         = Project M

|base         = ssbb

|altcostume   = {{s|wikibound|Masked Man}} Lucas

|moveset1    = Lucas (SSBB)

'''Lucas''' is a playable character in the ''[[Brawl]]'' mod ''[[Project M]]''. He has been given new options and moves in his recreation from ''Brawl'' to ''Project M''. Lucas comes specifically from the game ''Mother 3'', and is overall more of a support character in it. He uses moves such as Lifeup, Refresh, and Healing. Offensively, he has access to PK Love and PK Flash, the latter being a move Ness uses in ''Smash''; Lucas can also assist himself and his teammates with Shields, Counters, Offense Up, and Defense Up. In his ''PM'' iteration, however, he uses mainly offensive moves, and does daring acrobatic stunts for his regular attacks. This implies that it is his fourteen-year-old self, who has learned to be brave and strong, rather than timid and weak. He incorporates PSI into most of his attacks, meaning they have sweetspots which do extra damage. His forward aerial is a great example, as it does 13% on the strong hit, and 9-10 on the weak hit. Lucas is very combo oriented, and has a relatively strong wave-dash. His throws aren't very useful in most cases, with the up-throw being the one most commonly used. It hits multiple times and then throws upward, similar to Mewtwo's in power and concept.

In the previous demo, Lucas was a very middle of the road character: he had decently powered attacks that were fairly fast, and both his ground game and aerial game were adequate, if not spectacular. Unfortunately, a lack of notable strengths relegated him to the realm of average. To rectify this, he has since received a top to bottom revamp, strongly refocusing him towards concentrated pressure via Double Jump Canceling, fast combos, and flashy finishers. In return he's lost some of his strong recovery - Zap Jumping is a thing of the past. Not that he's helpless when returning thanks to his tether and his PK Thunder.

Despite a rocky start in Project M, Lucas is now poised to become the eye of a psionic storm!

Lucas' neutral special is no longer PK Freeze. This new special move plays much more to Lucas' strengths by making his already effective smash attacks even deadlier. When the B button is pressed, Offense Up begins to charge not unlike Samus' Charge Shot or Donkey Kong's Giant Punch. After a few moments, Lucas's hands glow with power and the next smash attack that he performs deals greater damage, shield damage, and knockback. Similar to other charging Neutral Special moves, Offense Up can be cancelled in the middle to retain the current level of charge, though Lucas' smashes will remain at their normal power until the full charge is complete. If you are accurate with this power, it'll serve you well - Connecting a hit with Offense Up will not expend the charge! Punishing predictable opponents has never been so satisfying!

For fans of PK Freeze, the PK Freeze graphic has been moved to Lucas' side special, replacing PK Fire. It still functions similarly to Brawl's PK Fire but has a cool new look.

As a fellow Psychic combatant, Lucas has gained Double Jump Canceling. This was a special technique few characters could perform in Melee such as Yoshi, Mewtwo, and yes even Ness. The development team thought it was only proper to let Ness' successor inherit this. However, it works slightly different from how it did in Melee. When using his second jump, if Lucas holds his jump button while an attack is being performed, he will attack while continuing to use his full double jump – but if he releases his jump input before an attack comes out, he will cancel the double jump and drop immediately. This allows quick transition from Lucas' aerial game to his ground game without interfering with his ability to chase opponents into the sky. Former players that used Double Jump Canceling characters should soon find themselves with a very powerful and familiar tool at their fingertips if they choose to play Lucas.

==Other Changes==

In his newest incarnation, Lucas has been blessed with a plethora of reliable launchers. From his jump-cancelable Psi Magnet, brand new Up-Tilt flash kick, lightning fast Forward-Aerial, to his Down-Throw Lucas is never in want of a combo-starter. From there he can juggle effortlessly with Up-Aerial , Forward-Aerial, or Down-Aerial, or finish the combo with his powerful flip-kick Back-Aerial. And once he has them back on the ground, Lucas' tech-chases typically end with a fatal smash attack - try a Dash-attack Canceled Up-Smash for maximum satisfaction. And although the majority of Lucas' kill power is focused in his smash attacks, his Back-Aerial remains a powerful spike!

[[Image:PMLucasAlt.png|thumb|Lucas' alternate costume.]]

===Changes from ''Brawl'' to PM===

Lucas was heavily buffed from ''Brawl'' to ''Project M'', as he was given many new options to combo and KO characters on-stage. While it may seem Lucas's recovery has been nerfed due to the shorter distance that his up special travels, the new air dodge and tether mechanics allow him to come back on stage with greater ease than before.

*{{buff|Lucas has gained a long [[wavedash]] thanks to ''Project M''{{'}}s new physics, greatly improving his approach and positioning.}}

*{{buff|New jab combo is only 2 hits, and is a better combo opener.}}

*{{buff|[[Up tilt]] is now a flash kick in an arc-like fashion, which has more range and utility than his previous up tilt, and it can easily lead-up into combos or a [[down aerial]].}}

*{{buff|Down tilt does slightly more damage and sends at a higher angle for potential follow-ups.}}

*{{buff|Forward tilt has less knockback, allowing for easier followups out of it.}}

*{{buff|[[Down smash]] has much less starting and ending lag; its second hit is now optional, performed by pressing the attack button again. This allows Lucas to peform a quick smash attack in with a single hit, or [[punish]] [[crouch cancel]]ers and [[pressure]] shields with a double hit, while before Lucas was forced to stay in place for a long time due to the attack's long duration.}}

*{{buff|[[Forward aerial]] does slightly more damage and boasts improved combo utility.}}

*{{buff|[[Back aerial]] does much more damage and is a much stronger KO move, and is slightly easier to sweetspot and [[spike]]s, making it a more reliable offstage finisher and edgeguarding option.}}

*{{buff|[[Up aerial]] was given more juggling potential.}}

*{{buff|[[Down aerial]] now only hits three times and thus has less damage potential, but it no longer changes Lucas's momentum, is much faster, has a strong downwards trajectory on the third hit, and links into subsequent hits more fluidly. This makes it have more utility in combos, either as a starter or finisher.}}

*{{buff|Standing [[grab]] animation is slightly faster, and has less endlag.}}

*{{buff|All [[throw]]s are sped up.}}

*{{buff|Lucas's new up throw has very high KO potential, and is the strongest up throw in ''Project M''.}}

*{{buff|Forward throw has less knockback, which improves its combo utility.}}

*{{buff|[[PK Freeze]] is replaced with a new special move called "Offense Up", a charging move with storable charge similar to [[Giant Punch]] or [[Needle Storm]], that increases the power of Lucas's smash attacks and stays active as long as Lucas connects said boosted attacks. This new addition over the generally competitively non-viable PK Freeze is considered a buff as it can allow stronger Lucas players to gain many quick and efficient KOs.}}

*{{buff|[[PK Fire]] inflicts more hitlag and less knockback, and autocancels upon landing, giving Lucas better follow-ups out of the move.}}

*{{buff|[[PSI Magnet]] can now be jump-canceled and has more hitboxes above Lucas, giving him a quick and deadly combo option. It also deals damage consecutively for the entire duration of the move, making it less punishable.}}

*{{buff|Lucas can now [[double jump cancel]] with the same mechanics as {{PM|Ness}}, making his combo game even more deadly.}}

*{{buff|Lucas's additional lag from a grounded [[grab release]] has been removed; he is no longer vulnerable to grab release infinites.}}

*{{buff|[[Dash attack]] is much faster and can now be canceled, giving Lucas a very fast and long-ranged [[DACUS]].}}

*{{buff|[[Zair]] now has a damaging hitbox, and is also generally better for recovering, as it can be used after an [[air dodge]] and ignores [[edge-hog]]gers thanks to ''Project M''{{'}}s new tether recovery mechanics.}}

*{{nerf|To compensate for the much greater combo utility of Lucas's moveset and the increased power of Offense Up-boosted smashes, several of his standard moves have slightly less damage output and knockback than in ''Brawl''. Some more notable examples are listed below:}}

:*{{nerf|[[Up smash]] has decreased startup time, but drastically less range and slightly less power.}}

:*{{nerf|Down throw has greatly decreased knockback scaling, and is no longer a KO move.}}

===2.5b===

*{{change|Cliff jump height slightly reduced.}}

*{{change|Neutral air now uses weight dependent set knockback on linking hits and is slightly more SDIable.}}

*{{change|Up air has normal hitlag, and now has a sweetspot that uses the new light element effect.}}

===2.6b===

*{{change|Down tilt animation angled slightly lower to shield poke better, also removed the sparkle graphic.}}

*{{change|Neutral air animation has a more centered axis of rotation about Lucas's body and uses stationary hitboxes for more consistent coverage. Multi-hit trajectories are now location dependent and generate the proper amount of hitstun for their knockback.}}

*{{change|Up throw hitboxes now cannot be clanked, fixing a bug that would have him freeze up similar to Diddy's up throw.}}

*{{change|Lucas's upper body cannot be hit during tether reel-in.}}

*{{change|Ledge roll 100+ works properly on edges with steep slopes like Yoshi's Island: Brawl.}}

*{{change|Up taunt makes Lucas behave as if he actually tripped if held.}}

===3.0===

*{{nerf|PK Magnet shield damage was significantly reduced.}}

*{{change|PK Magnet repeating hitbox refresh rate was reduced.}}

*{{change|Fixed a bug that prevented the >100% ledge roll animation from completing.}}

===3.5===

Up to date as of version 3.0.

! !!Name!!Damage!!Description

!Neutral attack

|Electro Slap || 2 hits of 3% (6% total) || Throws out one hand creating sparks of energy, then throws out the other hand, moving Lucas forward a bit.

|Backhand Psi || 11% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot) || Lucas does a back hand and creates a shock of PSI. Can be aimed up or down slightly. 

!Up tilt

|Flying Shock || 10% (sweetspot), 9% (late sweetspot), 8% (sourspot) || Lucas does a backflip charged with PSI. Can chain into itself at lower damage percentages.  

!Down tilt

|Magi Kick || 6% (tip), 4% (body) || Lucas crouches and spins with his leg out.

!Dash attack

|Energy Slide || 10% (clean), 7% (late) || Lucas slides forward, shooting PSI energy out of his hands.

!Forward smash

|Magic Stick || {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|16}} ({{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|24}} through Offense Up) || Lucas swings his stick. It [[reflect]]s [[projectiles]]. The tip of the stick sends enemies at a more horizontal angle. It gets stronger the closer the opponent is to the tip. Angling it up increases its damage and knockback and angling it down decreases its damage and knockback.

!Up smash

|Shock Eruption || {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|20}} (clean) {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|16}} (late) {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|30}} (through Offense Up) {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|24}} (late) || Lucas releases a small burst of PSI that erupts above his head. It has slow start-up and leaves horrid lag afterwards rendering it very easily punished. It is however compensated by its large knockback and range, which is even stronger through Offense Up. When fully charged, it can KO at 62%, and when fully charged through Offense Up, it can KO as early as 45%.

!Down smash

|Shockwave || {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|17}} first hit {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|14}} second hit ({{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|26}} through Offense Up) first hit {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|21}} second hit || Lucas points at the ground in front of him, shooting up to two bursts of PSI energy at his feet. It is unlikely that two of the hits will connect on the same enemy. The second hit is released by pressing the attack button.  

|Gyro PSI || 4 hits of 2%, then 6% (14% total) 4% (grounded hit) || Lucas spins in a gyro pattern with PSI energy around him with the last hit having decent knockback. 

!Forward aerial

|Energy Kick || 12% (sweetspot), 8% (late), 8% (sourspot), 7% (late) || Lucas kicks his foot forward with PSI. Can even be linked into itself or even into a down aerial for a Ken combo.  

!Back aerial

|Electric Backflip || 15% (sweetspot), 12% (sourspot) || Lucas backflips and and kicks his feet downwards behind him with a stream of small PSI. Has good ko potential and spikes if one connects with the final hit during the attack's animation.  

!Up aerial

|Quick Headbonk || 10% || Does a headbutt, low knockback. Has a bit of ending lag.

!Down aerial

|Gyro Shockwave || 3 hits of 5% (15% total) || Lucas thrusts his feet downwards and creates several quick flashes of PSI energy. The third hit meteor smashes weakly. Can be followed up with another aerial or an up smash when the subject bounces off the floor. Can also set up a combo using his down tilt followed by a smash attack, if the opponent doesn't tech the meteor smash. Although it has fast start-up, it possesses considerable ending lag if it is not autocanceled.  

!Grab aerial  

|Fang Grab || 8% || Lucas thrusts his Rope Snake forward.  

!Grab

|Fang Grab || - || Grabs the enemy with his Rope Snake. Has noticeable ending lag if it misses.

!Pummel

|Headbonk || 3% || Headbutts the enemy.

!Forward throw

|Energy Throw || 10% || Psychokinetically tosses opponent forward.

!Back throw

|Backhand Vital Toss || 10% || Psychokinetically blasts opponent back. Can KO at high percent.  

!Up throw

|Magic Rocket || 12% || Psychokinetically tosses opponent straight up. Very high KO potential.  

!Down throw

|Slamdown || 7% || Psychokinetically slams opponent down.  

!Floor attack (front)

|Quick Kick || 6% || Lucas gets up and spins on one hand while sticking a leg out.

!Floor attack (back)

|Quick Kick || 6% || Lucas gets up and spins on one hand while sticking a leg out.

!Floor attack (trip)

|Up and Attack || 5% || Lucas gets up on his hands and kicks backwards, then thrusts his legs between his arms in a kick forward.

!Edge attack (fast)

|Energy Recovery || 8% || Lucas flips onto the stage, then does a sweep kick.

!Edge attack (slow)

|Recovering Punch || 10% || Lucas slowly climbs up with his fist drawn back, then delivers a punch.

!Neutral special

| Offense Up || 10% (spark) || When the special button is held, Lucas begins to channel psychic power, complete with a weak [[wind]] effect. After a few seconds, Lucas' hands glow with power and the next smash attack that he performs deals greater damage, shield damage, and knockback. A partial charge cannot be held - it must be completed all at once. While Offense Up is charged, Lucas can also press the special button to produce an spark-like attack around himself with little to no startup. Hitting with a smash attack or the spark will allow Lucas to keep the charge, whereas missing will deplete the charge.

!Side special

| PK Freeze || 5% || Thrusts out both hands and shoots an icy ball far out horizontally in front of him. This move goes about half the distance of Final Destination when used on the ground and can be used to edge-guard.  

!Up special

| PK Thunder || Bolt: 10% (head), 1% (tail); PK Thunder 2: 33% if all hits connect|| Creates a stream of lightning whose direction can be controlled using the control stick or d-pad. As such, using PK Thunder will result in Lucas not being able to move or defend, because the control stick or d-pad is used to aim PK Thunder. This move can also be used to interrupt recoveries.  

!Down special

| PSI Magnet || 2% each hit, 6% release || Lucas holds out his hand which creates a small electrical field in front of him that absorbs any energy projectiles shot against him, lowering Lucas's damage percent by the damage the projectile would have dealt. As an attack, it does a small amount of damage if enemies make contact while it is out, but will take more damage and be launched behind Lucas when he releases it. When used in the air, it halts Lucas's falling speed, similar to Fox's reflector from Brawl.

!Final Smash

| PK Starstorm || 14% each star || Lucas calls down a rain of stars from the sky, yelling "PK Starstorm!".

===Notable players===

*{{Sm|Hyperflame|USA}}

*{{Sm|Kaito|Japan}}

*{{Sm|lloD|USA}}

*{{Sm|Neon|USA}}

*{{Sm|Oracle|USA}}

*{{Sm|Pink Fresh|USA}}

*{{Sm|Plasma|USA}}

Lucas has been given an alternate costume based on a segment in ''{{s|wikibound|Mother 3}}'' where Lucas is mistook for the Pigmasks' general, the {{s|wikibound|Masked Man}}, and passes as him for a while. Lucas's costume features no changes to the visual effects of his attacks, other than that his forward smash now uses the Masked Man's energy sword instead of a stick.

[[Image:Lucas Palette (PM).png|frame|center|Lucas's alternate costumes in PM]]

[[File:LucasoldBairPM.png|thumb|right|200px|Lucas's back aerial in previous versions of ''Project M''.]]

*In ''Brawl'', all of Lucas's specials were taken from Ness, and not actually moves he could perform in ''Mother 3''. ''Project M'' partially fixes that by giving him a new B move, Offense Up. It replaces PK Freeze, which then replaces the graphic for PK Fire. Offense Up will make Lucas's smash attacks do 1.5x damage and have balanced knockback.

*[http://projectmgame.com/en/characters/lucas Project M character page]